Gravity

 Oh no, I hope I don't fall (insert cheesy music).... but you will, against your hopeless hope. We all fall, just like all objects, just like a water drop from the sky, just like the stock market in 2008. I'm sure you have heard this enough before (if you didn't bunk physics of course), but everything falls towards everything else. That means you're falling towards the long-forgotten single sock that's gathering dust and an impressive culture of microorganisms as we speak (as you read to be more precise). So the question of the month is: What is gravity?

Boring things first: the definition. According to NASA SpacePlace, the space agency's site for kids, gravity is the force by which a planet or other body draws objects towards its centre. That's a simple enough explanation by an organization that deals in the complex. So there are these things in physics (that means they exist in the real world and universe) called 'fundamental forces'. These are the 'strong Force', 'Electromagnetic Force', 'Weak Force' and, finally, the topic that you "fell" for (hehe), 'Gravitational Force'. And, on regular non-scientific observations, it appears to be the strongest. But, in fact, it's the weakest of the four fundamental forces, and by mind-bogglingly huge degrees. So, those were the greetings from gravity.

Einstein is known for his General and Special Theories of Relativity. His General Theory of Relativity deals with gravity. He explains that gravity is not simply a force: it is the bending of the fabric of space-time itself. Yes, the fabric of space (and time) feels like something out of a sci-fi movie or a philosophical discussion, but no. This is the most widely accepted explanation of the working of gravity since it has managed to explain tons of gravity-related anomalies such as orbits of planetary objects, event horizons of black holes and redshifting of electromagnetic waves of a variety of wavelengths. One of the more popular and simple explanations of the "bending of the fabric of space-time" is here. Do watch this video, it will "pull" you right in (hehe, another one). 

Once you've watched the video, think about the importance of this important force. The entire universe would have been completely different, let alone life. We don't ever stop to appreciate things as they are. If an apple hadn't knocked some sense into Isaac Newton sitting under a shady tree, something else would have fallen on some other intellectual's head, giving rise to the same question: Why did it fall? Well, you now know a decent amount of gravity to, you know, help them understand the "gravity of the situation" (lmao I'm done I promise).